Transgenders interact with media

“We would like to be referred to as Nupi Manbi or as transgenders”, local transgenders voiced in unison during a one day media interaction held at Hotel Nirmala today. The formal function was graced by Project Director of MACS Sailesh Kumar Chaurasiya, Chief Editor of ISTV, Y Rupachandra as the president and chief guest respectively. AMWJU President A Mobi, Project Director of SAATHI Pramita Banerjee and Secretary of All Manipur Nupi Sabi Association Shanta were the guest of honors.\n

29th July 2012 13:38

Alessia Valenza

The speakers mainly touched on the need for the transgenders and media to come together in order to highlight the suffering and injustice meted out to them.

“The society fails to acknowledge people having different sexual orientations and do not accept them as part of our society, this preconceived mindset needs to be changed and the media has a big role in educating the masses in the regard”, Rupachandra said. He added that the public’s lack of knowledge about transgender should be augmented by news reporting pertaining to the issue.

“We should have an independent and progressive media, we should strive for the underdogs of society”, he stated.

A Mobi on a similar note said that state media does not adhere to the norms while reporting about HIV /AIDS and transgender issues, “We sometimes create a panicky situation rather than educating the masses, properly terminology should be used” , he added that the media should try to bridge the gap between the society and trasgenders.Paramita Banerjee also added that the society ignores the predicament faced by the ‘Nupi Manbis’. Mentioning that they the ones often bearing the brunt of both genders, “ We need to think beyond the binary gender, and the media needs to create an image for the transgender, men and women have separate restrooms, where do the transgender go?” she quizzed.

Dissecting the crux of the matter and her own personal experience, Shanta said that being born a man and wanting to become a woman is the problem. She said that the various crimes perpetrated on the transgenders by the security personnel have been covered up as there is no support from the family members or the society alike.

“We face the predicament of being unable to come out openly with our problems as the society has remained closed to our woes, we want a humane outlook from the rest of the public”, she lamented.

It may be mentioned that the Nupi Manbis are involved in various trades presently. Beauticians, film and drama artists, wedding make-up artist are the main occupations and many have excelled in the said trades.